In the cross-referenced published German application, means are provided for continually changing the shift point of an automatic transmission in dependence on the actual resistance to travel, namely the resistance to vehicle travel which takes the load and the slope of the road into consideration. Specifically, the actual measured acceleration of the vehicle is compared to the theoretical value of the acceleration at a predetermined load, for example the minimum load on a level road, or a value derived therefrom. The difference between the two values constitutes a correction signal for changing the shift point.